Change of Heart
by OliverRiley
Summary: After a run-in with each other on the street, Allen and Road begin to discover feelings they thought they would never feel...at least, in regard to each other. But with the war, how can love bloom between an Exorcist and a Noah? AllenxRoad.
1. Chapter 1 : A Bloom from Idle Hands

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

By : Minerva-sama

Chapter One : A Bloom from Idle Hands

The azure blue sky spread widely over the tall buildings and city streets. The white clouds, thick like balls of cotton, lulled lazily across the sky's blue-threaded tapestry. In the middle of it all, there was the sun—shining uninhibited in the highest point in the sky, like a fresh egg yolk.

The sun's light drifted down in rays that struck a French-style window, and inside, illuminated a gray-skinned, blue-haired girl who was lying on her stomach on a beige-carpeted floor.

Road sighed. With no one home, the house sure was quiet. The young Noah had never really noticed it before…she had always been too busy trying to entertain herself, or find a new way to harass Tyki, or any number of other things.

But not today. The gray-skinned girl took in a deep breath, and furrowed her brow as she let it out. No, today there was but one thought plaguing her mind and one alone:

Allen Walker.

She didn't really know why—it was just _there_! But not just the name…everything was there. His voice, his smile (or rather, what she envisioned his smile to be like), everything. She wondered why he, of all people, was all she could think about.

And it wasn't just today—she had been thinking about him for at least a week now, and it was long enough to drive the Noah insane—absolutely, positively insane. He was just another Exorcist…so why couldn't she get him out of her head?!

With a peeved grumble, Road rolled over onto her back on her carpet floor and looked at the ceiling with her piercing yellow eyes. As much as she'd wish it to do so, the ceiling would sound no response, no matter how intense the glare.

Across town…or rather, away from the business district, a small, homey apartment stood in a little cul-de-sac out and away from the downtown area. The red-brown brick exterior was overshadowed by several tall trees that bent their branches over the complex, as though they were protecting it from the summer heat with their shade.

Allen Walker was flopped on his bed, also looking up at his ceiling. Road was nowhere in his thoughts, at least, not yet. All he was thinking about was…nothing, really. The Exorcist's mind was completely and totally blank.

He brushed a strand of snow-white hair away from his closed, chilly blue-gray eyes and let out a contented breath of air. He opened one eye to see the friendly golden golem flutter about his room as it basked in the sunlight.

"You enjoying the nice weather too, Tim?" He asked the little golem with a chuckle. Some people, if not most, would not understand why he would talk to it. It was a strange sort of thing to do, talking with something that looked like a golden golf ball with wings.

Timcampy fluttered up and down happily as though in response to Allen's question. The light from the sun bounced off the golem's metallic exterior with each rise and fall. Up…and down. Up…and down.

"Yeah…it's nice out. Maybe I'll go for a walk…you wanna come along, Tim?" In one fluid motion, Allen slid himself to a sitting position on his bed and began to put on his shoes. The black boots slid on with a slight difficulty, and Allen let out a short breath of air in mild agitation as he fussed with them.

Finally, after winning the short battle with his boots, he stood up and stretched. He let his arms swing back to his side before he smiled at Timcampy and motioned the little golem onto his shoulder.

"Come on, Tim! It's too nice a day to waste inside." He smiled brightly and Tim quickly flew to his shoulder as Allen walked outside.

Upon contact with the sunlight, Allen stretched his arms up again, which caused Timcampy to move to the top of his head. Allen gave the golem a funny look as it returned to his shoulder before he continued walking down the street and out of the cul-de-sac. He had no plans to arrive anywhere, but soon found himself wandering towards downtown.

Road, too, had gone for a walk. She hadn't found anything in the house that could amuse her, so she had decided that she should try to amuse herself. After all, if she couldn't find a way to keep herself busy, there was a great potential for catastrophic results. And she had decided that, today, catastrophe would only make her mood worse.

So, out she went, into the clear summer afternoon and around the downtown business district.

"Road-tama! Do you know where you're going, Relo?" The parasol asked as it hovered close behind her.

"Oi, do I _need_ to know where I'm going, Relo?" The Noah pursed her lips as she stared back at the umbrella. She didn't have any idea where she was going, truthfully, but she didn't care.

"B-but, Road-tama! You could get lost!" Was the pumpkin-topped parasol's response as its expression changed in succession with each thought.

"Oiii…shut up, Relo. It's nice out. I'll get lost if I want to. It's not like it's a labyrinth or anything." She countered nonchalantly as she continued walking with her hands now behind her head.

People often gave her strange looks when she walked outside in this form. It was certainly not every day that one would see a gray-skinned girl with spikey blue hair and yellow eyes walking around downtown. Or maybe it was the holy marks on her forehead…or maybe it was the talking parasol?

Or maybe it was because she was about to run into something…or rather, someone.

"Rooooad-tama! Look out, Relo!" The parasol's warning was very much too late. Road had been so focused on ignoring the parasol that she hadn't seen the person in front of her. With a gentle thud, she landed on her bum on the cracked sidewalk.

"Oiii, watch where you're going you…" She was cut off when she looked up to see the face of Allen Walker.

He seemed to be oblivious as to who had walked into. He extended his right hand down to her with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry about that, miss. I should've been paying more attention to where I was…" His eyes widened as he looked at the Noah on the ground. His hand flew back to his face in surprise, and he nearly fell over himself.

"What the hell?! Road?!" He regained his balance and stood there wide-eyed. Road narrowed her eyes to a glare as she stood up. She wasn't all that intimidating, simply because she was smaller than Allen. She looked up at the Exorcist with a pout.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Road nearly shouted as she crossed her arms sternly over her chest and continued to pout at Allen with her narrowed yellow eyes.

"Er…sorry." It was only half of an apology on his part. He knew, though, that Road wouldn't apologize, so he did his best to make his half-hearted one as sincere sounding as possible.

"Hmph. You should be." Road replied indignantly. She seemed to have ignored the fact that Allen was only half-way sorry. She took a deep breath and glanced from Allen to the sidewalk, and back, as though she expected him to say something.

"Yes, well…er…" Allen needed to think of a way out of this—and fast. He rubbed the back of his head nervously as he also glanced around.

"Hmm?" The Noah replied somewhat sarcastically.

"I…I have something I need to do. I'll…er…see you when I see you, I guess." He avoided saying her name, lest she become clingy and follow him home. He gave a half-hearted smile to match his half-hearted apology and quickly turned on his heel and walked off, with Timcampy on his shoulder once more.

Road just stood there on the street with her arms crossed. Relo, who had felt somewhat forgotten in the entire ordeal, bounced up beside her and began its incessant chatter once more. Road either didn't hear the parasol's mindless jabbering, or she had chosen to ignore it. Her cheeks were brushed with a light shade of red, and she felt like she had stepped into a mental haze. She quickly turned on her heel and, with Relo in tow, walked back to her house at a fairly fast rate.

She opened the front door, and didn't care that she had forgotten to lock it. No one had come in, and no one would ever really try (it was a house full of Noahs, after all). Road rushed up to her room and closed the wooden door with more force than was probably needed, and was grateful that she had slammed Relo on the other side of it.

As soon as the door was closed, Road opened another—the door that led to her own personal dimension. The ornate, heart-shaped gateway appeared near her French-style, white windows and slowly opened to reveal its purple, ever-changing energy inside.

Road stepped in and shut the doors and promptly sat on the floor of her dimension. She looked around at the porcelain dolls and their emotionless faces, gift-box-weapons, candle-weapons, and various other party favors that had taken a turn for the macabre. She needed to think…and here was the only place she could get some real peace.


	2. Chapter 2 : These Foreign Feelings

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Two : These Foreign Feelings

Road sighed as she whacked her fist with emphasis on the hard floor, which caused a fair-sized echo in the expanse of the dimension.

"Why won't you leave me alone, Exorcist?!" She shouted as she hit her fist on the floor again, clearly exasperated. It didn't matter that she had seen only a half-hearted smile…it was still something of a smile, and enough of one to drive her crazy.

"Why can't I stop thinking about you!?" She yelled again. Her snake-like yellow eyes widened when she heard a banging on the other side of the door. Slowly, it opened to reveal a tall man with a gray complexion identical to Road's. He tilted the brim of his black top-hat up to show a raised eyebrow.

"Well…would you care to fill the rest of us in on your emotional escapades, Road?" It was Tyki—apparently, even a dimension couldn't separate Road's irritated exasperations.

Road sighed as she responded; though she had a feeling she might regret it later.

"I can't get this stupid boy out of…" She didn't need to finish her sentence before Tyki started to laugh.

"Oh—you mean the Exorcist, right?" He stopped laughing as he put a gloved finger to his chin in thought. "Let's see…what was his name…? Ah, yes, Allen. Allen Walker! That boy, I presume?" He asked.

"Maybe." Road responded with a pout as she crossed her arms once more. Tyki found this amusing as he leaned against the dimension's door.

"Y'know, Road, and I think I said this before, but a love between an Exorcist and a Noah isn't going to be…fruitful." He stifled another chuckle as he remember the first time he had said that to her.

Road narrowed her eyes in a 'shut your face' sort of glare that she promptly directed at Tyki. Needless to say, she was ticked. It was bad enough that she couldn't get Allen out of her head, but having Tyki harass her about her feelings just made her want to kill something.

"That's not it." She retorted with venom in her tone that she hoped would get him to leave.

Tyki took the hint full force, and then some. He took a few steps to the door with a 'please don't kill me' sort of smile. With a cautiousness one would use when backing away from a very angry, very hungry animal, he opened the door and tipped his hat in parting.

"Alright…whatever you say, Road." He said in a slightly hurried manner before he closed the door, and thus, left Road to her solitude.

Road maintained her pout and crossed arms even after Tyki had left her alone. After a few moments of silence, she uncrossed her arms and used them to push herself to a standing position. Her pout slowly gave way to a vacant, albeit agitated, expression.

"That's right…whatever _I_ say." She muttered under her breath as she walked over to a wall. Not just any wall of her dimension, but _the_ wall.

She ran her black-painted nails over the wall's surface slowly and with purpose. She stopped when she reached three large holes in the wall. She tilted her head before a small grin played her lips, which was followed by a somewhat sadistic cackle.

"Oh…you were a fun toy then, Allen Walker…" She mused contentedly before she stopped cackling. She let out a deep breath of air as she stared at the holes in the wall. She looked at the ground, which still bore dried blood-stains.

Oddly enough, Road felt a shiver run up her spine that caused her to twitch. She shook her head and stood up and turned her back to the wall.

"Get a hold of yourself, Road…" She told herself. But she now found herself face to face with something she really didn't want—a flashback, or rather, a memory simply playing in front of her.

Allen stood there; his cursed arm, in the form of a cannon, was pressed against the back of Road's head. Road walked over to where the scene played out, and stood between the imaginary Allen and the imaginary Road. She tilted her head as she watched and listened.

She listened as she taunted Allen to shoot her. Her shoulder sunk slightly—she hadn't been aware that she had ever raised them. Her eyes widened a little bit as she realized something she hadn't fully realized then.

"A part of you wants to shoot me…" She looked the imaginary Allen in the eyes, still focused on the imaginary Road before it.

"But…a part of you…can't." She tilted her head and stared at the memory, then at the cannon, and over to her imaginary self.

She walked away from the scene, and as she did so, it slowly faded into nothing, as fog fades in the presence of sunlight. Road crossed her arms once more before she walked back over to the wall.

Again, these strange feelings…they built up inside her, and she felt as though they were eating away at her. Eating away everything she had been taught to do, everything that she had been raised to believe. Everything… everything was…building up in those feelings…and every time she looked at the bloodstains on the floor and the large holes in the wall, the feelings grew.

She sat on the floor with her legs in front of her before she flopped onto her back. She looked up into the endlessness of her cosmos; a swirl of green and black, and maybe purple. Even without looking at the wall or floor, she couldn't deny the rising of these feelings inside her. She closed her eyes and attempted to drift off to sleep.

Road didn't realize it then, or maybe she chose to ignore it for sanity's sake, but those feelings…the feelings of remorse, of regret…were directly tied to her other new-found emotion:

Her love for Allen Walker.


	3. Chapter 3 : The Floodgates of Memory

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Three : Opening the Floodgates of Memory

Allen shut the door to his apartment with great relief at being able to escape Road with both eyes intact; with everything intact, really. He slid to the floor and began a second struggle to remove his boots.

With a slight grunt, he managed to get the black boots off his feet. He stood up slowly and picked them up with one hand and moved them to the foot of his bed.

As he sat down on the side of the bed, Allen let out a light sigh and shook his head. Now that he had time to think about it, he was very grateful that, of all the places he could've run into Road, that it was a public place. Even Road had enough common sense to know not to attack him amid a giant crowd.

"Well…that was interesting, eh, Tim?" He looked to the golem which had perched itself on the windowsill, as if it longed to go back outside. Timcampy turned to Allen and bounced up the slightest bit in agreement.

"She's definitely the strangest person I've ever met…" He muttered before the memories of his first day at the Black Order entered his mind. With a twitch, he retracted his statement.

"…Okay, second strangest." He remarked after deciding that there was no way—absolutely _no way_—that Road was stranger than Komui. It just wouldn't happen…ever.

"But…she still is…pretty……odd…" His voice faded to no more than a mumble as he unwittingly surrendered his consciousness to sleep. Timcampy fluttered up from its perch on the window and rested, instead, on Allen's bedside table. Until he returned to the Order from his 'vacation', the little golem was really the only thing that could look after Allen, besides the boy's Innocence.

Allen opened his eyes to see not a world of dreams, but rather, a nightmare of his own memories. He was in the last place he ever wanted to be: Road's dimension. He looked left and right, and attempted to activate Crown Clown.

Nothing happened—not even a sputter of light came from his cursed hand. He looked up to see what Road had seen before—memories. Flashbacks; things he thought he had put in a corner of his mind where he would never look again.

He watched helplessly as Road played with him. He felt a darkness rise in him, an anger that he thought he was justified to feel.

He winced as Road rammed a candle through his cursed eye. He winced at his scream as it pierced the solitary darkness of Road's own little playground. He felt no pain, personally, but it was all too real, even for a dream…even for a memory.

Then he saw what Road had seen—his cannon-arm pointed at her head. A point-blank shot would surely kill her. He watched himself as Road taunted him, as she called him kind, and then taunted him again.

Why had she said that? Why had she called him kind? It seemed out of place to him. He watched as the tears flowed down from his face—tears for the Akuma that he could've saved, tears of rage in Road's thoughtless order for the Akuma to self-destruct.

Why hadn't he shot her? He could see his own arm shaking the slightest bit, and he had assumed at the time that it was because of his rage. After all, he could've saved that Akuma's soul…given it peace. And Road destroyed it.

Allen's expression quickly changed as he was whisked to another memory—it was a while after the incident at the Rewinding Town…it was in the Ark—where he had first activated the true form of his Crown Clown. He saw himself walk up the stairs with Lenalee, Lavi, and Chaoji in tow. Relo was with them, as a guide.

He watched with curiosity and vague amusement at his own expressions as Road glomped him. He couldn't help but laugh as Road greeted him with a kiss. Allen had to admit, it was a pretty laughable expression, even though no one else, especially Relo, seemed to think so.

At the time, not only had he been greatly surprised by Road's kiss, but also vaguely grossed out. She _was_ a Noah, after all, and such a greeting was not expected from his enemy.

Allen spent the rest of his nap watching the rest of the memory unfold, from the fight with Tyki, to the fight with Lavi. He felt kind of strange as a spectator in his own memories, and wondered, for a moment, if this was what it was like to be a Bookman.

"So…this is what Lavi wants to do?" He said with a chuckle. Allen found it slightly boring, simply because it was his own history, and he knew how everything in this dream ended.

However, something struck a chord inside him when he heard something he hadn't heard before. It was after Tyki had rammed him against the trap Road had created to encase Lenalee and Chaoji. Allen had been knocked unconscious, and hadn't heard what Road had said to Tyki as he approached.

_"Hey, you're damaging my Allen too much!"_

Allen blinked a few times as he processed this statement. Road had been…looking out for him? That was very strange. Perhaps she had been serious, after all.

He almost felt bad for destroying the Noah inside Tyki when he saw Road's shocked expression. She really looked like she was about to cry. Allen looked at his own expression: determined, stoic…remorseless.

Then he looked to Road's again. Her human form seemed to reveal more about her than the Noah form ever had. The expressions…they were so much more real…he knelt to Road's level and watched her expressions change from shock to anger.

He stood up and backed himself up to where his dream-self was standing. He couldn't blame Road for being 'very pissed off' at him. After all, he did, in a sense, kill her uncle. He wasn't sure what exact relation Tyki had to Road, but he had heard, once, that he was something of an uncle.

But Allen knew that if he hadn't destroyed the Noah…well, needless to say, he wouldn't be having this dream right now. He wasn't necessarily _sorry_ for what he had done…but he wondered now if he could've done something differently.

He looked back to Road with a confused expression. His observation was interrupted, though, by Lavi's Hiban, which swallowed both Allen and Road. He watched as she floated there nonchalantly, and stumbled back slightly as Lavi's dagger protruded from her chest.

There was no blood, though, from the wound. Only a small trickle of crimson was seen as it dripped down from Road's mouth. Allen's expression softened and he reached out a hand to the imaginary Noah, only to have it fade through like the hand of a ghost.

He blinked once more and shook his head as he awoke in bed. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table—he hadn't been asleep for more than 45 minutes. And now…now he couldn't get Road out of his head. He sighed, agitated, and sat up on the side of the bed with his cursed hand over his cursed eye.

He couldn't understand why he was suddenly seeing things he had never seen before. Had he never noticed them? Or, had he chosen to ignore them? Was what he had just seen shown to him for a reason?

"No…no, that's just silly." He muttered as he talked to himself. "Dreams…dreams are just…the brain organizing itself."

As if on cue, he could've sworn he heard Road's voice from the window. It was sweet, gentle, and dripped with ulterior motives.

"Of course, Allen…you keep telling yourself that, m'kay?"

He spun around at the assumed voice, and had already activated Crown Clown Edge, only to find nothing but the wind as it pressed itself against the window. The Innocence quickly deactivated and Allen clenched his right hand into a fist as he sat on the opposite edge of his bed.

"Dammit…what did you do to me, Road?" He hissed through clenched teeth, his voice tinted with confusion. He buried his forehead in both of his hands as Timcampy hovered near him.

"What did you do to me…?"


	4. Chapter 4 : Return to the Order

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Four : Return to the Order

A week had passed since Allen had run into Road on the street. The incident was nothing more than a moment in his memory…and a blurry one, at that. He was glad to put it out of mind.

Allen looked up at the large gates that would lead him back into the Black Order. His Innocence had fully recovered from its last trauma, and he found that he really couldn't stay away. It was his duty, and he felt a bit bad for taking off time…even if it was forced upon him.

Slowly, Allen pushed open the gates and walked into the dimly lit, large foyer. He was greeted enthusiastically by a face he hadn't seen in a while…two faces, actually.

"Allen! Welcome back!" Lenalee grinned cheerfully and gave him a friendly hug. Allen returned the hug as best he could, what with one arm being preoccupied with his small suitcase.

As he let go of Lenalee, the other voice rang out in protest.

"Eeeh, what the Hell?! I don't get a hug, Beansprout?!" A typical greeting from Lavi. Allen didn't really have time to think of a response or a reprimand for being called 'Beansprout', as Lavi proceeded to riffle his hair excessively.

"Lavi…" Allen remarked with a slightly exasperated tone, as one would give to an irksome parent in public.

"Awright, awright. Well, c'mon! How was your vacation?" Lavi dove right into the questions as he and Lenalee walked with Allen down the corridors and towards his room.

"It was…it was nice. Thanks." Allen smiled calmly, and it seemed to be enough of an answer to placate the both of them. He didn't really want to talk about it much, simply because he knew that, somehow, in one form or another, his run-in with Road would come up.

Fortunately, before either Lenalee or Lavi could ask, they reached Allen's room. He bade them goodnight with a smile and a wave and walked into what was comparable to a disaster-zone.

As he entered the black void of his room, Allen nearly tripped over a number of things, mostly stacks of paper. He finally managed to make it to a lamp and turn it on.

His eyes widened as he slowly comprehended the mess. It was awful! Komui, Lavi, and Lenalee had been so urgent in getting him out of the Order to take a break that he hadn't had time to clean…or at least, make a path to his bed.

With a sigh, Allen began to pick up various junk off his floor. It was late enough already, and the work only made him sleepier. The thought of sleep was like a siren-song that drifted over from his bed. With every inch he cleared, the melody seemed to grow in intensity.

Finally, there was a path! Allen let himself fall onto the bed, still in his Exorcist uniform. He had almost fallen asleep when he felt something poking the back of his head. He wondered, for a moment, if he had accidentally squashed Timcampy…but the little golem was hovering nearby.

With a slight groan, Allen turned himself on his stomach and pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper off his pillow. He rubbed his eyes and read it aloud quietly.

"Allen…I need to talk to you about some impact…oh, wait." He squinted a bit and re-read the word. Who ever had written the note didn't have the best penmanship.

"I need to talk to you about something…important. Meet me outside, on the road." He raised an eyebrow groggily. He would much rather sleep. But it didn't help that the note had no sender…someone must've gotten into his room while he was cleaning…or something.

Unfortunately, his curiosity bested his desire for sleep and he slowly oozed out of bed. He slipped into his boots with an unrecognized ease, and drew his hood over his head as he slipped out his window.

Outside and in the distance, Road's yellow eyes observed Allen as he climbed out his window in a not-so-graceful fashion. She smiled cutely to herself and waited for him to come to her as she stood in the darkness down the road.


	5. Chapter 5 : Secret Desires : Part 1

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Five : Secret Desires : Part 1

Allen walked down the road a little bit before the combination of sleepiness and agitation got to him. He stopped about halfway down the road, and with clenched fists, called out to the darkness.

"Alright! Whoever's out there…what do you want?!" He shouted, which was probably not the wisest course of action.

But he got his answer, though not in the form of words. A hand slipped over his mouth and another gripped his cursed hand. Allen's eyes widened, and he attempted to activate Crown Clown, but something was stopping him—dark energy.

He turned his head slightly to see the culprit—Road.

"Shhh…" She admonished quietly. She leaned in closer to him, which sent a shiver up his spine.

"You don't want people to know you're meeting with a Noah…do you, Allen?" She whispered in his ear. Her voice was gentle in sound, but, in tone, it was laced with venom.

When Road had decided that Allen would be quiet, she slowly removed her hand from his mouth and slowly removed his hood with two fingers, as though she were taunting him, to see what she could get away with.

Truth be told, she could get away with almost anything while Allen was still on Black Order grounds. He was, essentially, at her mercy. If she were to make any loud noises or launch an attack, people would hear, and Allen would certainly face the consequences while Road got away.

With this knowledge, Allen narrowed his eyes to a glare and watched Road with suspicion as she sauntered in front of him with a finger over her lips, as if to tell him to keep quiet.

"Follow me…" She said in no more than a whisper, though Allen didn't really have much choice. She turned around and beckoned him with a finger.

Allen sighed and followed, however unwillingly. He wasn't sure of where he was going, why, or what on earth Road had to say that was so important that she had to drag him out of bed to say it.

It was only upon arrival that Allen realized he had climbed down the mountain and followed Road into a secluded, albeit creepy, forest. He eyed Road suspiciously, and nearly fell asleep while doing so.

He opened his eyes to see Road directly in front of him, and no farther away than two or three inches. Another shiver went up his spine, and he was too drowsy to notice the slight red on her cheeks.

"Oi, no sleeping, Exorcist." She kept her piercing yellow eyes on him and backed up a bit.

"…What do you _want_, Road?" Allen asked, exasperated, as he continued to mindlessly follow her as she walked deeper into the forest. He rubbed his eyes warily and didn't stop until he ran into her. He mumbled a 'sorry' and took a few steps back.

"What do I want? I came all the way here to talk to you, and you can't even be a _little_ nice to me?" She asked with a slightly irritated pout.

Allen was in no mood for sarcasm, or pouting. He sighed and rubbed his eyes again.

"Road…maybe time works differently for you…but in case you didn't know, it's one in the morning." He replied as he slid down a tree trunk and rested on the ground.

This was not going at all how Road had planned it to go. She walked over to Allen and sat on her legs. She put her hands on the ground for balance and continued to stare at him.

Finally, after a minute or so of quiet, Allen broke the silence. He raised his head slightly and sighed. He could be sleeping right now, and the fact that he wasn't only agitated him more.

"Well…?" He asked, too lazy to say the entire sentence again. He slowly stood up and used the tree to balance himself as Road followed suit. He really didn't see how she could be so awake, or even pretend to be awake, at such an early hour.

"Well…isn't it obvious?" Road turned her head slightly to face Allen, who gave a very confused look in response.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she slowly walked back over to Allen. Again, a shiver went up Allen's spine at her close proximity.

"I want you, Allen Walker."


	6. Chapter 6 : Why Don't You Believe Me?

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Six : Why Don't You Believe Me?

That was all it took to wake up Allen. His eyes widened, and, as if Road read his mind, she put a finger over his lips and narrowed her eyes.

"Like I said, shhh!" She kept her finger over Allen's lips as she spoke. She was embarrassed, but it didn't show.

Allen just stood there, dumbstruck at Road's confession, of sorts. She had said she loved him before, but he never thought anything of it. And now this?! He slowly removed her hand from his face with his cursed hand.

"Now listen, Road." He hissed quietly. He wasn't sure why he was so agitated, though he could only assume it was his lack of sleep. With his hand still gripping Rhode's, he continued to speak.

"I'm not stupid. I know you want the Innocence, and playing me for a fool isn't going to work." It felt good to finally tell her off. But a part of him was telling him to stop. He ignored the latter and let himself cave to the former.

But as he spoke, Road's expression began to change. The more he patronized her, the redder her face got, and the more hurt she began to appear. After a moment, Allen finally noticed. He paused, and the part of him that told him to stop started to win him over. He quickly pushed it away and shut his eyes before continuing.

"So…in short, Road, I don't care." It was his final remark, and he felt like he finally had some sort of upper-hand against the young Noah.

But then he paused, and looked at Road's face. Tears of anger had pooled in her eyes, and, with one quick motion, she jerked her hand from Allen's. It was clear she was mad, but Allen assumed it was because he had her figured out.

"I should've expected that. And they say the _Noah_ are supposed to be 'heartless'…" She muttered. She took a few steps back, and one thing rang in Allen's head as clear as a bell:

Road wasn't faking being upset. The tears that had pooled in her eyes were real tears, and he soon realized that she wasn't mad because she had been figured out…but rather…she was upset because she had been rejected.

And, as Road walked off, Allen wondered if he could feel any worse. He shouldn't be feeling this pain…this aching in his heart. He should be feeling proud that he just one-upped a Noah.

But he didn't feel proud at all. He felt…helpless. He wondered if there were something wrong with him. As he turned and began to head back to the headquarters, he found himself wishing he could take it all back.

With each step, he felt like a brick had been attached to his boots. He wondered why Road would tell him something like this and _not_ expect anything…but she had expected something. Something he didn't giver her:

A chance.

He hadn't even taken into consideration the possibility that she might've been serious. He had assumed she was after the Innocence again. And then he hurt her, and now…now he couldn't feel any worse.


	7. Chapter 7 : An Unforgettable Face

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Seven : An Unforgettable Face

Allen flopped onto his bed after he changed into his PJs. If he hadn't just climbed up a mountain, he probably would've been asleep as soon as he hit the pillow. But the adrenaline was almost gone by now, and he still couldn't sleep.

But he knew why.

This time, he _really_ couldn't get Road out of his head. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. He saw her standing there in front of him with the tears in her eyes as he tore her apart, word, by word, by word.

It was agonizing, truly. Allen opened his eyes to the black ceiling and shut them again just as quickly. He hadn't realized…or rather, it had never occurred to him that Road's feelings could've been real.

It had also never occurred to him that his feelings could be real. He felt like his heart had been ripped open, and it made it worse because he knew it was what he had said that was hurting both he and Road so much.

"There's no way…" He muttered as he slung an arm over his eyes. There was Road again. He turned on his stomach and buried his face in his pillow. Was feeling this way supposed to hurt this much?

He knew he needed to apologize, but he was too conflicted to think about how to do so. He rolled over to one side and stared at the blank wall before him. But there were other things he wanted to say, and he knew that suppressing them would only make the wound deeper.

"But…she's the enemy…it could never work…" Allen muttered into his pillow. It felt so clichéd, first, having these feelings, and second, having them for an enemy.

"So why can't I get her out of my head?!" He tossed and turned some more. He didn't even know if he would be able to apologize to Road—he had no way of contacting her.

But, he did remember hearing from somewhere…perhaps Lavi, that Road was the Noah of 'Dreams'. Maybe…maybe, if he concentrated hard enough, he could talk to her in a dream.

It was unlikely he would contact her, and he knew it, but he had to try. Slowly, he let himself drift off to sleep. He didn't know the extent of Road's abilities, and, hard as he tried, he couldn't seem to find her in his dreams.

He found himself, though. He was watching himself from a third-person perspective, but this was no memory. The dream was nothing more than a black room, lit only enough for Allen to see himself.

_"Road?"_ He called out, and listened to the echo. He walked around a bit in this strange dream-world. His only hope would be that she would be listening in on his dreams out of spite.

_"Road…if you're there…I need to talk to you. I can't right now…but…I need to talk to you. If…if you can…meet me where you took me tonight…but tomorrow night."_ He slowly faded out of his dream-world, and into a dreamless void for the rest of the night.


	8. Chapter 8 : Second Chances

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Eight : These Foreign Feelings : Part 2

Road had heard Allen's request loud and clear, and made no response. She was still angry, more at herself than anyone. She clutched her pillow to her chest as she sat up in bed and looked out the window.

The moon was a sliver of a crescent, and would probably be gone tomorrow. Road put her pillow back and slipped out of bed. She quietly walked over to the window; her bare feet made no sound on the carpet. With one motion, she opened the large French windows.

The cool, gentle breeze spread through her room and danced with her loose, white nightdress. She took a deep breath and looked out into the night. She wanted, so badly, to be with Allen. She wanted to feel his arms wrap around her and pull her close. She wanted to fall asleep listening to his heartbeat, gentle and slow. She felt so helpless—she would do anything for him, and she only wished she could make him believe it. She knew it was against 'the rules.'

But she didn't care. She didn't care that it was forbidden. She didn't care that she was a Noah; that he was an Exorcist, and that they 'couldn't' be together.

"Who made that stupid rule, anyway?" She muttered as she leaned her chin on her hands.

Her lips curved into a small smile, or perhaps a devilish smirk, as thoughts flitted through her mind. She traced a painted fingernail across the windowsill before she drew pictures in the air with the same finger.

"Who cares about 'Noah' and 'Exorcist'…I just wanna be with him…" Road whispered before she stood up and closed the windows. The loudness of the latch made her jump slightly, and she hurried back to bed.

She slipped under the covers quietly and looked through the window from a distance. It was a beautiful night, really. She had never really paid much attention to things like that until recently. She had begun to discover holes in her heart, in the very core of her being, that couldn't be filled with violence.

She wanted to hope, to love, and have someone love her back. Nothing more; nothing less. As she swayed on the border between consciousness and sleep, she couldn't help but hear Allen's voice, calm and soothing, echo in her head.

He was so innocent…so kind…so perfect. She wanted to be a part of him, and he, a part of her. She would do anything to prove that she was serious…she couldn't help, as she entered into sleep, but think about tomorrow, and what would be said or done. She smiled and felt a calmness sweep over her as she realized that Allen had given her what she had wanted in the first place:

A second chance.


	9. Chapter 9 : Secret Desires : Part 2

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Nine : Secret Desires : Part 2

Allen watched from a corner of his room as the last bits of sunlight were chased away by the oncoming night. The oranges, pinks, and yellows seemed to seep away from the purples, indigos, and blacks of the darkness. For the most part, the day had gone fairly quickly. Save for a few conversations with Lavi and Lenalee, it had been pretty quiet.

And now all he had to do was wait for the time when everyone was asleep. He sat on the edge of his bed and let his shoulders slouch. He debated preparing something to say, and decided that to do so would be incredibly strange, not to mention silly.

So he just waited. The ticking of the clock in his room was the only noise, save for the occasional sound of Timcampy's wings fluttering.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

It was enough to drive him up the wall. He glanced down at his hands and opened and closed them a few times. He had to go through the entire day pretending to be absolutely fine, and now that he was alone, he could be as angsty as he needed to be.

Finally, he heard the clock chime midnight. He had to change into his PJs so that, if someone like Komui were to barge in unannounced, Allen would at least _look _like he had been sleeping.

He quietly slipped back into his normal wear and put on his coat and boots. He was once again surprised at the lack of struggle the boots put up. He put his hood over his head and buttoned it into place before he snuck out the window once more.

He soon arrived at the edge of the forest Road had taken him to the previous night. Now that he was awake, he was more alert to sounds and sights than he had been earlier. One sound in particular caught his attention: the sound of humming.

He knew the voice was Road's; he walked into the forest quickly and quietly. He was surprised he had gotten through it the first time—there was so much brush and bramble, and he presumed that his lack of scratches and scrapes was because of his coat.

Finally, he found her. She was sitting on the grass, eyes closed, her legs crossed, and her back against the trunk of a tall tree. Allen took a few deep breaths and began to speak.

"…Uhh…hey." He kicked himself for such a flat greeting, but Road welcomed it nonetheless.

"…Hey." Her response reflected that she still had a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but that, for the most part, he was forgiven. It relieved Allen a little bit, and, as he was about sit, Road stood up.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she leaned against the trunk, with one foot propped against it for balance.

"Yeah…I wanted…to apologize for yesterday." He kept his eyes hidden underneath his hood, but Road wasn't fooled. She walked up to him and stood on her tip-toes to reach his hood. Slowly, the Noah pulled it off his head and grinned satisfactorily.

"You did?" She was a little surprised, but not entirely. She took a few steps back in case Allen was uncomfortable.

"Yeah…and…well…I need to say something…" He began, but found it difficult to say. He wasn't sure whether expressing his feelings was _supposed_ to be this hard or not, but before he could finish, Road interrupted.

"What is it?" She asked as she cast him a sideways glance.

"G-give me a minute…my mind's…kinda in a haze right now…just…just give me a second…" He held up his hand and put the other to his head as he continued to think. He took a step back and let out a short breath of air.

"A haze?" Road raised an eyebrow, and received a nod from Allen in response.

Slowly, she walked up to Allen and put one hand on his face and the other on his chest for balance. His heart jumped slightly at her touch—he hadn't expected it to be so…warm; so soft. He felt a redness spread across his face as Road moved closer.

"Well…maybe I can help." She remarked with a smile before she leaned into Allen and slowly pressed her lips to his.

Allen's eyes widened and his heart started to race. This was unexpected…but not unwelcome. Road grinned slightly as she felt his heart beat faster. She pressed a little closer to him and moved her hand behind his head.

Allen wasn't sure what he should do, if anything. He blinked multiple times as his mind raced in sync with his heart. Cautiously, he moved his hands to Road's waist and returned the kiss as he pulled her to him gently. Road's smile grew as Allen put his hands around her.

After a moment or two, Allen slowly, and with some uncertainty, broke the kiss. He could still feel the strange sensations as they spread through his being. Road moved her other hand behind Allen's head and gave him a playful smirk as if to say 'I told you so'.

They were barely an inch apart, and they could almost feel each other's heartbeat. With no moon in the sky, the only light they could see each other by was the stars that shone above them, uninhibited by clouds.

Road said nothing, and neither did Allen. They let the silence speak for them as their thoughts flowed from one heart to the other in the quiet of the night. After a prolonged silence, Road giggled girlishly. Allen wasn't quite sure what was so funny, but he couldn't help but give an amused grin.

As if to confirm her feelings and tie them to Allen's, Road stood on her tip-toes once more and kissed him again, though with less hesitation this time. Allen smiled and was about to return the kiss when a noise echoed through the brush. He broke away from Road's kiss, to her dismay, and his blue-gray eyes searched the surrounding area.

"I thought as much…" A deep voice split the now-eerie silence. Allen felt sick to his stomach as he felt someone's grip tighten on his cursed hand and winced slightly as he was jerked from Road's embrace.

"Allen Walker…you are under arrest." Allen's eyes widened as he stared up into the face of the last person he wanted to see here:

General Cross.


	10. Chapter 10 : Punishment

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Ten : Punishment

Allen looked up to see General Cross. The man's expression made his skin crawl. General Cross hated Noah—and seeing Allen not only in the same area with one, but kissing one on his own free will, had twisted the General's expression into one of distaste and utter repulsion.

"Ah—Shishou—ow!" Allen yelped in fragments as the General twisted his wrist to make him quiet. He shot a penetrating, one-eyed gaze at the young Noah over by the tree.

Road took a few steps back. The look of pure hate…it scared her. She knew she couldn't take on a General…nor would she. Allen's safety would be put at risk, and it wasn't a chance worth taking. She wouldn't dare risk Allen's safety if she had any choice in the matter.

Without another word, Cross dragged Allen off to the headquarters and tossed him in a cell in the basement.

Road, on the other hand, hurried home. She felt a chill run up her spine—which meant that, more than likely, someone other than General Cross had been watching them.

In the cold of the cell, Allen shook his cursed hand once or twice. Cross sure had been mad when he dragged him away. His head hurt, too, probably from being hit by Cross's hammer multiple times.

He knew he'd have to answer questions, but he was grateful that the good news overshadowed the bad. He couldn't wait to tell Road—he figured she'd be happy to hear it.

Road…to contact her, he'd have to sleep. And sleep he would.

He leaned his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. The sounds of guards' boots clicking as they paced slowly faded from constant, to background noise, then to nothing at all.

And there he was, in the same black void.

_"Road?" _He called out. A slight fear crept into his being of what became of Road…if she had been caught.

But soon, the room began to change. Soon, he was in Road's dream world. And, slowly, the familiar heart-shaped doors opened to reveal Road, dressed in her white nightdress. She glanced about apprehensively before she stepped in and closed the doors.

_"I'm here."_ She responded with a gentle smile. It was no sadistic, twisted grin, but a genuine smile. Allen felt his heart skip a beat, just looking at it.

Road giggled and walked over to Allen, and stood in close proximity to him once more. Allen grinned and slowly sat down, and used the wall to prop himself up. Road followed suit and landed on her knees.

_"Did you…need something, Allen?"_ She asked somewhat warily.

_"Hmm? Oh…no, not really. I just wanted to let you know what's going on."_ He looked over at Road's wary expression and furrowed his brow in confusion.

_"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get you in trouble…"_ Road admitted quietly.

Allen chuckled slightly and shook his head. _"It's okay, really. They aren't gonna press charges or anything. They let me off with a warning…but I'm still under house arrest."_

Road's expression slowly changed to a smile and she moved around Allen so she was sitting in front of him. She tilted her head and just sat there, with her eyes fixated on Allen.

Allen looked at Road with the same curious expression, as though he were a mirror. He couldn't maintain it for long, though, before his mouth curved into a smile.

_"What's that look for?"_ He asked as Road shrugged in response.

_"I dunno…"_ Was the only verbal response he received.

Allen pursed his lips slightly as he thought about different courses of action. He could sit there and leave the silence be…or he could do something completely unlike him.

After deciding on the latter, Allen moved slightly closer to Road. In one motion, he had gently gripped her arm and pulled her nose-to-nose with him. The expression of shock on her face made him very amused.

_"A-Allen?!" _Road blinked, and had no time to say anything more.

Allen kissed Rhode deeply and moved his free hand to her waist. This time, it was Road's turn to be surprised. As he had done, she blinked multiple times. Slowly, she acquiesced to the desires of her heart and returned his kiss.

Even in a dream, everything felt so real, even though neither of the two was physically present. His grip on her arm…gentle, yet strong; his hand on her waist as he slowly pulled her closer and deepened the kiss; his lips, soft and tender on her own, with the innocence of never being kissed…it all felt so real, and she could only wish that they weren't in a dream world.

He quietly removed his lips from Road's and let the air rush into his lungs. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath. Road pulled away and inhaled a deep breath and blinked again.

_"Wh…what was that for?"_ She stammered slightly, still dumbstruck from the intensity of Allen's kiss.

Allen grinned and shrugged. _"I just wanted to try it, to see how you'd react, I guess."_ He moved his hand up and down her arm gently. _"Well…that and you looked like you needed cheering up."_

Road looked at him and giggled. _"I was just…worried, I guess."_

_"Worried?" _Allen raised an eyebrow.

_"I wasn't sure…whether you'd be upset with me or not…for getting you in trouble with your Shishou…"_ She admitted as she raised her gaze to Allen. Allen smiled and pulled her close to him once more.

_"I told you, it's alright." _He whispered softly as he moved his hand from her arm to her face. Road smiled at the touch and leaned her head against his shoulder.

_"When…will you be free?" _She asked.

Allen moved his hands so that he could hug her. Her size surprised him a little bit—she was so small; so thin. A part of him felt like if he weren't careful, he might break her. Then again, this _was _Road…so the chances of her breaking were very unlikely.

_"A few days, give or take. I should be back on duty by…Wednesday. I can imagine Lavi and Lenalee are gonna be pretty surprised." _He mused as Road wrapped her arms sleepily around his neck.

_"Do you think…they'll ever…accept us? You and me, I mean."_ It was a brave question, but she might as well know now rather than later.

Allen shrugged as he held Road to him. _"I dunno…it would definitely take them a while to…warm up to the idea of it. But…I don't think we have a lot to worry about. At least, not here."_ He smiled calmly and closed his eyes.

_"I like being here…with you, Allen."_ Road let out a quiet breath of air and slid her hands down to Allen's shoulders.

_"Me too, Road…"_ Allen slowly felt himself drifting into deeper sleep, beyond Road's dimension. Before he slipped into a dreamless void, he heard Road's voice echo through the endless space, almost like a lullaby.

_"Sleep well, Allen…"_


	11. Chapter 11 : Decisions

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Eleven : Decisions

Road glanced about her dimension after Allen left for deeper sleep. She knew, as a Noah, that Innocence was her weakness. But now…now, as a person…a _human being_, she found her greatest weakness was Allen. She'd do anything for him—anything and everything. It made her wonder about the war, and why it was so important.

"Why are we even fighting this damn war?" She cursed slightly as Tyki opened the door.

"Oi, Road. I heard about your little…" Tyki stopped to cough awkwardly. "Umm…rendezvous, with Allen Walker the other night." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and set his top hat on a newly formed hat-rack.

If looks could kill, Tyki would be dead-on-site. Road's eyes had narrowed to a glare—someone had betrayed her. When she found that someone, they would end up looking like a finger-painting project gone awry…she'd make sure of it.

"Who told you…" It wasn't a question—it was a demand. Tyki shook his head and sat by Road. She sure was scary when she got ticked.

"I heard it through the grapevine. Let's leave it at that…but Road…" Tyki began, but was abruptly and rudely cut off by his niece.

"But what." She stated with a chill that could freeze anything.

"I told you…it can't work. I'm not trying to come down on you or anything, but…it's impossible." His expression grew saddened—as twisted as he was, he knew that love was a painful emotion. Not from his own experience, but from experiences of those around him.

Road's expression changed as well. Her glare softened, and his words seemed to depress her slightly. At this change, Tyki scooted a bit closer and put his hand on her shoulder, with the secret hope that he would get it back intact.

"B-but…" Road stammered. A part of her knew that Tyki was right, but she didn't want to admit it.

"But what, Road?" He asked, concerned.

"But I _love_ him, Tyki…I love him…" She admitted quietly as she narrowed her eyes to prevent any further emotion from showing.

"I know. But you can't have both…and that's the problem. You want to hold on to both your family and your love…and you can't." He spoke in an equally quiet tone as he glanced at Road.

"Why not?" She asked as she wrung her hands in her lap.

"By nature, you two are polar opposites. It may be true that opposites attract, but what isn't said is that…for the two to attract…one has to give in. You can't hold on to this family…and Allen. I'm sorry, Road…" Tyki paused and took a deep breath and looked at his niece again, who raised her glance to him.

"But you have to choose." He stated as he stood up and headed for the door. Road quickly rose and followed him.

"But--Tyki!! I don't know, Tyki! I don't know what to do…who to choose…" She gripped his tailcoat somewhat desperately. She really didn't know what she was supposed to do, or why, for that matter.

Tyki looked at her with a saddened expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Road…this is a decision _you _have to make on your own…I can't help you." He gently removed her hand and walked out of her dimension and closed the doors.

Moments after Tyki left, Road collapsed to her knees and clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to cry so badly…this was all so confusing. She felt a deep aching in her heart as she thought of her family, her relationships with all of them. She thought of Jasdebi and their antics, and Tyki, and LuLu Bell. She didn't want to lose them!

Then she thought of Allen. Dear, kind, gentle Allen. She thought of his smile, his voice, his personality. She could still feel the lingering warmth of his kiss on her lips. She put her fingers to her lips and felt the urge to cry once more. She didn't want to lose him, either…

Why did these decisions have to be so hard? She didn't understand…she couldn't. Family or love…? Love…or family?

"Wh-why…why do I have to choose?" She murmured before she covered her ears with her hands and curled into a ball as she sat on her knees. Her heart; her soul; the very core of her being ached with the knowledge that she would have to let go of one of the two things that was most precious to her.

"I don't know…I don't know…!" She whimpered. The only thing that bound her to her family was her genetics…she was only in the family because she had become a Noah. They were connected through their love for violence, blood, and suffering…but Road felt herself drifting from such things. She found that violence no longer amused her…that blood…didn't make her giggle. She also found that suffering…suffering no longer brought her pleasure. The bonds were slowly breaking between her and the other Noah, it seemed—bonds she thought would never break.

But Allen…she was bound to Allen in more ways than one, even if he didn't know it. Most importantly, they were bound at the heart—by the love they shared. They were bound by conflict—the war that raged between Noah and Exorcists. What he didn't know was that they were both bound through Mana, and his subsequent death. She hoped she'd never have to experience what he had to. She knew these bonds—bonds of tragedy, conflict, and love…while they may possibly fade away…she knew the memory of such bonds wouldn't vanish into thin air as momentary pleasures would.

Slowly, the fog of confusion faded, and, as the darkness gave way to morning, a single tear slipped down the Noah's cheek as she stood up and exited her dimension.

She had made her decision.


	12. Chapter 12 : Changing Fate : Part 1

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Twelve : Changing Fate : Part 1

Allen had been freed from his house arrest earlier than he had expected to be. General Cross had warned him about meeting with 'that Noah' again, though he failed to carry a heavy threat. It was probably because the Black Order needed every Exorcist they could get.

So, here he was, in his own room again, not some slightly messy, dark jail cell in a secluded basement he never knew existed. He smiled contentedly as his body hit the blankets, and his head hit the pillow. Soon, he slipped into a welcome sleep.

He hadn't been sleeping more than an hour, though, when he heard a faint tapping on his window. Groggily, he sat up and blinked, confused. His room was on the second floor…there was no way—

Tap. Tap, tap. Tap.

He soon recognized that it was no person, but rather, pebbles, being tossed against his window. He blinked again and walked to the window and opened it slowly, and as quietly as he could.

His eyes widened as he saw Road standing on the ground below him, with an armful of pebbles she looked prepared to throw. She was too far away to reach a hand to, but close enough for Allen to see her smile.

As dangerous as he knew it was, he didn't care. He held up a finger to Road to indicate that he'd be outside in a minute. After closing the window, Allen slipped on his day clothes once more, his coat and his boots and, without buttoning the hood, he slid out of his window and on to the ground.

Their nighttime meetings were now something he had expected. Road would show up at the headquarters (and, somehow, not get caught), and they'd go to the forest, where they could talk about anything and everything and, save for the one occasion, never be found.

So it was tonight. Allen noticed that Road was unusually calm as they stole silently away from the Black Order. She looked rather…thoughtful. He didn't know what she was thinking, if anything, but he did wonder if he'd get to know.

Soon, they arrived in their secret 'hideout'. Road wandered around a bit, and Allen just flopped on his back to look at the sky. It was magnificently clear again—and from this area in the forest, one could see forever, it seemed.

Road noticed his transfixed gaze on the stars and walked over to him. Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees, and then, lay on her back beside him. In a matter of moments, she, too, was capture by the night's beauty.

Allen looked over at Road and grinned. "You can see everything from here…even the Milky Way."

Road raised an eyebrow. "The Milky Way? What's that?"

Allen chuckled some and nodded. "Yeah. You see that line of stars…it looks kinda like someone took a paint brush and just painted across the sky? That's the Milky Way—it's the rest of our galaxy." He used his finger to make an arc that followed the curve of the sky.

Road's eyes brightened and she nodded with a smile. "Oh! I see it…wow." She was speechless. She never thought she'd find beauty in the cosmos; in the darkness of night where the only lights were those of celestial origin.

Road turned on her side and moved closer to Allen and put her hand near his heart, and rested her head directly over it. Allen put his arm around her gently and looked at her. The Noah took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she listened to the ever-present, never-changing rhythm of his heart.

"Allen…?" She asked as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hmm?" He tilted his head a bit to look at her directly.

A light red played Road's cheeks and she lowered her voice slightly. "Will you…sing to me?" She asked quietly as she glanced up at Allen.

Allen would've laughed if her expression hadn't been so…deep. He wouldn't try to guess what she was feeling, but he had a hunch that she was confused, though not about her feelings for him.

"I'm not exactly…the best singer, Road…" He chuckled lightly and looked down at her with a small, quirky grin.

"It doesn't matter…I'm not, either." She smiled calmly. "I don't care what you sing…I just…I wanna hear your voice." She buried her head in Allen's coat slightly.

Allen pursed his lips in thought. He had a hard time recalling any songs he learned. They were little more than a blur…except for one. He remembered Mana taught it to him, once. It was one of the last songs he'd ever learned from Mana before he had been killed.

Slowly, and with a slight bit of nervousness, he began to sing quietly.

"Tell me why the stars do shine…tell me why the ivy twines. Tell me why the sky's so blue, and I will tell you just why I love you…" His voice was soft, and, though untrained, it had a soothing quality to it that made Road smile.

Allen was happy that she hadn't covered her ears at his singing, and, with less apprehension, he continued to sing the last verse of the lullaby.

"Because God made the stars to shine…because God made the ivy twine. Because God made the sky so blue…" He paused slightly and pulled Road a little closer, which seemed to make her even calmer.

"Because God made you…that's why I love you." He finished, and, though he received no resounding applause (he certainly hadn't expected any), he could tell that Road was happy.

The two lay there for what seemed like an eternity, with only the sounds of the forest sounding in the night. The gentle wind pushed through the trees, and the leaves seemed to whisper in response.

Road was the one to break the silence with a quiet voice.

"Allen…?"

He sensed wariness in her voice, almost a fear, that he was a little surprised to notice. He tilted his head to her and looked at her with a slight concern in his blue-gray eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked in response.

"I…I want…" Road swallowed hard—her throat was dry, and she took a deep breath and, with a few stammers, finished her sentence.

"I want to join…the Black Order."


	13. Chapter 13 : Changing Fate : Part 2

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Thirteen : Changing Fate : Part 2

Allen choked slightly and coughed. His heart rate jumped a few notches, and his blue-gray eyes were so wide, they could've fallen off his face. Normally, Road would've laughed, but this was no laughing matter, and they both knew it.

"You what?!" He exclaimed a little louder than he should've, and found Road's hand promptly placed over his mouth.

"Shhh..!" She instructed as Allen slowly sat up. She moved herself off him and removed her hand from his face.

Allen said nothing, and waited impatiently for Road's answer. He felt like a small explosion had went off inside him, and he could feel all the strong emotions rise in him like a hurricane.

"I said I wanted to join the Black Order…" Road spoke in a hushed tone to the perplexed boy before her.

Allen blinked a few times as he processed the statement. A Noah…wanted to join the Order? It would've normally given him cause for alarm, but he trusted Road, and the expressions on her face couldn't be read any other way.

"Road…it's not that easy…" He began awkwardly as he rubbed his head with one hand. Road just sat and wrung her hands in her lap nervously.

"You can't just…join. And…well…" He sighed and tried to sort out his thoughts.

Road raised her eyes slowly. "Well what?" She asked with uncertainty, her head still tilted down.

"Well…for starters…they probably won't even let you in…because you're…well…" He didn't need to say it: _a Noah_. It was clear, to both of them. He saw Road's expression change to a more melancholy one, and he placed a hand on her shoulder in a feeble attempt to comfort her.

Allen raised her head to look into her eyes—that striking shade of yellow. They used to frighten him, those eyes. But now…not so much. They reminded him, oddly enough, of the sun, just before it sets. He paused and spoke again, his hand still on Road's shoulder.

"And there are…no guarantees in the Black Order, Road. I can't guarantee that there'll be a branch to put you in…I can't guarantee your safety…or anything, really." He sighed and closed his eyes.

He opened them to see Road an inch away from his face, which caused a light blush to spread across his cheeks. He blinked a few times as he listened to Road's response.

"I don't care about guarantees, Allen. I wouldn't be joining for guarantees…" She leaned back into her normal sitting position.

"Then…why are you trying to join?" He asked, befuddled.

Road's eyes narrowed slightly to keep her emotions at bay as she spoke in a voice no greater than a hushed whisper.

"I've been thinking, Allen. After you and I got caught by Cross…it gave me something to think about. Tyki told me I couldn't have love and my family—that something had to give." She sighed and looked away from Allen, whose shock was clearly readable amid the darkness.

"Y-you…you gave up your family…because of me?" He stammered slightly in disbelief.

"Not _because _of you, Allen. _For_ you. I want to end this war…I hadn't realized how badly until I sat down and thought about it." She gripped her skirt fabric tightly as she tried to hide all emotions.

"I want to believe…that there's more I can do…that I'm not just cut out for killing…I want to change my fate. I don't want blood on my hands anymore…" She shook her head with her statements, as though she were trying to block out memories of the family she was slowly betraying.

"I want…" Her voice began to shake lightly. "I want hope…and I've found it…I've found it in you, Allen Walker."

No sooner had she finished her sentence, had Allen pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She blinked and clung to his coat and shut her eyes tightly. She was so confused…all her life, she had been raised to kill, torture, and destroy. She knew her fate, and she had accepted it. But when she met Allen, she saw something inside him that she realized had been taken from her. He made his own choices; carved out his own path, and decided his own fate.

Allen was confused, as well. As he stared into the blackness of the forest, his eyes darted back and forth in thought. He felt Road's grip on his coat tighten, and pulled her closer still.

"Changing fate, huh?" He chuckled lightly.

His expression slowly softened and he loosened his grip on Road until his hands were around her arms. She looked up at him with concern, and he smiled gently.

"You do realize…that they probably…or rather, definitely, won't believe you, right?" His grin became slightly quirky, and it made Road giggle quietly.

"Yeah…but…it's still worth trying for, isn't it?" She tilted her head, and Allen's grin widened as he pulled her to him.

"You're crazy. You know that, too, right?" He chuckled slightly.

"I never claimed otherwise, Exorcist." She replied with a grin. She hadn't called him Exorcist in a while, and Allen chuckled once more. He flopped back down on his back, and took Road with him. She smiled at him as he looked at her, to the stars, and back to her. He gently ran a gloved hand over one side of her face and pulled her to him and stared her straight in the eyes.

Road's eyes widened slightly as she stared back into Allen's own blue-gray eyes. Such a beautiful color…there were so many things she could compare them to. Road felt that if she looked too deeply into those eyes, she would fall…those eyes of endless emotion.

Slowly, he pulled Road the rest of the way to him and pressed his lips softly to hers. He could feel Road's grip on his coat loosen and, after a few moments, broke away from the kiss.

He looked at Road once more and smiled as he caressed her face gently with his thumb. Road giggled lightly at his touch, and her expression became more placid as he spoke.

"I don't know if there's much I can do…but I'll promise you this, Road…" He continued to run his thumb over her cheek. "I'll do my best."

He grinned once more, and felt Road lean against his chest. He moved his left hand, which had been gripping her arm, to her shoulders, and he moved his right hand over her own, which rested casually on his coat. Here, in Allen's arms, as clichéd as it was, she felt at home. Only here was she accepted for everything she was, and loved all the same. She smiled calmly and spoke one sentence before she drifted into sleep.

"Let's…change fate, Allen."


	14. Chapter 14 : New Beginnings

((Author's Note: Eek

((Author's Note: Eek! Sorry for the long wait—I've had…no idea, really, what to continue the story with. I had only planned up to chapter 13, as many of you know, so now I'm winging it. I'm not too good with Lenalee's personality, and this was the best I could come up with for starters…I hope it's better than I think it is.))

Change of Heart

Chapter Fourteen : New Beginnings

The night lulled on as Road slept to the tune of Allen's heartbeat and his gentle humming. He ran his hand through her spiky hair a few times and smiled calmly. Moments of pure peace, he knew, didn't come very often. And here, in his own moment with Road, he treasured every second of the quiet night that she lay there, sleeping in his arms.

Soon, a faint rustling came through the bushes, and out stepped a very concerned, but very relieved, Lenalee.

"Allen! Thank goodness you're…" She stopped when she saw Road, and when Allen gave an expression that urged her to speak more quietly, for both their sakes.

"…What's going on…?" Lenalee stood by the tree, dumbfounded.

"…You remember when I was under house arrest, right?" Allen's grin became sheepish, and he let out a light chuckle. He didn't need to say much else, as Lenalee's brain put the pieces together.

"…Oh. I see." Was the only reply from the Chinese Exorcist as she leaned against a tree trunk and met Allen's gaze.

"…Yeah." He chuckled again, and Road stirred slightly. He hoped she wasn't waking up, for numerous reasons. "Do you have any idea…how she could join the Black Order?" Allen asked, in all seriousness.

Lenalee's eyes almost fell off her face, and Allen stifled a laugh to the best of his ability. He stopped, though, when he saw the fury in Lenalee's eyes as she knelt over him.

"Lenalee, listen to me, please." Allen stared at her with innocent eyes. "You want this war to end as much as I do…as much as Road does. I know we've never been on the best terms with the Noah…but please, give her a chance." He pleaded as Road stirred once more. Allen didn't see her eyes slowly open.

"Why should I give her a chance, Allen? She nearly killed you! What guarantee do I have that she won't kill you, me, and the rest of the Black Order once she joins!?" Lenalee said angrily in a hushed tone.

"Lenalee…there aren't any guarantees." Allen said in a hushed voice, as well. "There are no guarantees in the Order, and you know that as well as I do." He was right, as much as Lenalee wanted to believe otherwise.

"Allen…what would she do, though? I mean…she isn't an Accommodator…she couldn't be a Finder. What would she do?" Lenalee seemed to have acquiesced, and she was surprised to hear Road respond.

"I would…we would…be a bridge." She sat up and looked at Lenalee with her brilliant, yellow-gold eyes. "It sounds stupid and mushy, I know...but I told Allen earlier that I…"

Lenalee's eyes narrowed slightly as she finished Road's sentence. "You wanted to change your fate." She answered.

Allen was a little peeved, at this point. "Lenalee, how long were you listening?" He asked as he slowly stood up with her.

"Long enough…" She responded softly. "I don't see how this could work…" She folded her arms over her chest. Allen walked away from Road and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I was wondering that, too. But, it's worth a shot, isn't it, Lenalee?" He asked, and raised his blue-gray eyes to her green ones. Slowly, her cold expression melted into a softer smile, and she sighed. There was a moment of silence that hung in the air before she finally responded.

"I suppose. It won't be easy…but…" She looked at Allen, then Road, then to the ground. "But maybe…maybe brother could do something…" She raised her head and smiled. "I came to look for you—Cross was suspicious." She giggled slightly with the knowledge that Cross's suspicions were valid.

"So, I guess we should go back then, right?" Allen asked as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Lenalee chuckled and spoke.

"Yep. Bring Road, too." She grinned and began walking back to the castle.

Road's expression of worry faded to a smile as Allen laced his fingers through hers and gently pulled her beside him as they followed Lenalee back to the Black Order headquarters. He wondered, absently, what the others would think; what they would say. Road was wondering, too, and probably Lenalee, as well.

But for the time being, they were content to know that there were now more options to be considered; that there were new beginnings on the horizon that could lead to greater heights, and each smiled with a different hope; a different idea of what the future would hold.


	15. Chapter 15 : Smile

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Chapter Fifteen : Smile

"WHAT?!" The voice bellowed at volumes previously unknown to man. Allen had to cover his ears slightly, and Road may've been blown back half an inch from the force of the exclamation.

"Nii-san…" Lenalee sighed, and put her hands on Komui's arms and lowered them. It wouldn't do any good to calm him down, but she might as well try. "Nii-san, please listen…" She begged with wide, shining eyes.

Komui put down the power-drill he had been wielding previously and adjusted his beret. With a sigh, he gave in. "All right…start explaining…" He sat back in a chair and sipped his coffee. When neither Allen, nor Road, nor Lenalee, said anything, he motioned for them all to sit.

"Err…well…" Allen stuttered, and glanced at Road with the hope that maybe she could tell him just what she was planning to do. Road furrowed her eyebrows and bit her lip nervously.

_"Well?"_ Komui said, agitated. Lenalee shot him a glare, which made him a little calmer, though not much. He didn't want an angry Lenalee…truth be told, no one wanted an angry Lenalee.

"Well…Road…she…she and I are…well…together…and." Allen stated, and raised his arms to his face quickly as Komui spewed a mouthful of hot coffee at the word 'together'. Lucky Komui—had he been eating, he would've choked.

"What?!" Back to the beginning, it would seem. After he received a smack on the back of the head from his sister, Komui quieted once more, and let the two continue.

"Yes…well…" Allen rubbed the back of his head, and Road took her cue to speak.

"I want to end this war, Mr. Komui…" She didn't usually call people by their titles, but here it was probably better if she did. "I want to end this war…and I think we can." Her sudden change in pronouns confused Komui.

"We?"

"Mhmm…Allen…and me." No spew this time, only a mild cough as the coffee burned his windpipe.

"If…if the other Noah see that we can get along the way we do…it might make them reconsider." Allen continued, and used his hands to gesture once in a while.

"They're Noah, Allen. What would they consider?" A second smack from Lenalee met Komui's head.

"That maybe this war is pointless—the war between Noah and Exorcists." Road stated, without malice. She wasn't offended in any manner by what Komui had said—it was an observation of the Noah clan, and a fairly accurate one at that. "And that maybe…maybe, instead of fighting on opposite sides…we can work as one unit…I guess." She shrugged.

Komui raised an eyebrow behind his glasses. Clearly, he didn't get how two opposite forces could work together. Thank goodness he had Lenalee to be his brain.

"Like two sides of a coin, right?" The Chinese girl asked Allen and Road, and received a nod in response.

"I still don't quite get it…well…I get what you're saying…just now how it came about…" Komui rested his chin in his palm and pursed his lips. How on Earth did Allen and Road end up together?

"That's a bit of a long story…" Allen said slowly, and when he received a shake of the head from Komui, that was that. "…But we just want to know if there's somewhere for Road…in the Order."

"Why doesn't she just go back to the Noah clan?" Komui asked—smack number three. He wasn't _trying _to be insensitive, it just so happened that every question he asked came out that way.

"I can't go back. I've made my decision…and I'm dead to them…basically." Road stated in a somewhat melancholy tone. It still hurt a bit, the knowledge that she had betrayed her family. Allen took note, and quietly slipped his hand over hers. Komui felt like he was about to vomit. Were these two prepared to PDA him until he caved?!

"Agh, agh, agh…you're asking a lot of me, guys…" He said as he stood up and ruffled his hair slightly, before he let his hand fall back to his side.

"We know…" Allen said in a hushed voice. Komui walked over, and, with a calm, almost brotherly, smile, he ruffled Allen's white hair under his hand.

"But I'll do what I can…'kay?" He asked with a quirky grin. Allen smiled contentedly and nodded. Road simply thanked the Chief with a smile as he walked out.

After he had left, Lenalee quickly occupied her brother's seat. She folded her hands in her lap and gave Allen and Road a small smile. "Well…I guess there's only one thing left to…"

"Lenalee!" Her older brother's voice stopped her mid-sentence, and she rose quickly with a roll of her eyes.

"Coming!" She shrugged at the two before she walked out of the room.

Road glanced to Allen, then at the white-washed walls. She felt a little ashamed—a being so evil, in a room so pure, with a person so pure. It was almost a feeling of inadequacy. Allen took notice quickly and squeezed her hand gently. Road tilted her head back to him to see his calm smile. She could almost feel the dark pieces of her shattering, and then scattering, like dust in a summer breeze. And nothing else had made her feel so…grounded, so secure—nothing but that warm, encouraging smile that seemed to say so many things. So many words; so many phrases were in that smile alone, but there was one in particular that Road saw in that moment, in those endless blue-gray eyes; in that tender, gentle smile. Allen's words echoed the deep calm that Road felt in his smile as he spoke.

"Welcome home, Road." He leaned in to the Noah, and his lips brushed against hers delicately in a silent, heart-to-heart kiss. His fingers wrapped tighter around hers, and he stroked one side of her face with his cursed hand.

Road smiled as Allen kissed her. She had never felt so perfect, so pure, as she did in that moment. She felt the final pieces of darkness inside her dissolve away with each second that passed. She didn't have to say anything, and neither did Allen; they both knew what she was thinking.

_"Yes...I'm home."_

**END**

((Author's note: Yes, I went and did some editing--I think this is where I want 'Change of Heart' to end, at least, for now. I have some more ideas which may become more fanfictions later, but I think this is a good note to end it on. Thank you, all, for your kind and constructive reviews. I'm always giddy when I read them. I hope you'll continue to read my fanfictions and review them. I truly hope you have enjoyed reading 'Change of Heart'.))


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